When God Interjects Eternity

Candy blogs: If you know me, you know that I love to be a moment catcher … noticing meaningful moments and celebrating them … and hopefully with the camera! I’ve always called them “moments” and they are always unexpected so you have to be ready at all times to “catch” one.

I was inspired by a fellow blogger’s post, Elaine, at Peace for the Journey. It made me stop and think about my own, what Elaine calls, “sacred intersections”. I’ve had them. I even look for and anticipate them. What a wonderful tag for such moments! Sacred intersections … I’m not talking about the kind of moments where the music starts to build like in the movies and your moment unfolds dramatically. Like this one for me:

http://www.bigfoto.com/themes/winterOne evening during our 20th anniversary weekend in Sun Valley we opened the door to the condo to go to a romantic dinner only to find huge snowflakes falling softly all around us among the aspen trees; it was silent … it was magical … it was unexpected. And it really happened. I could almost hear the music. It made us feel young and helped us remember when our love was young. (insert sound of scratching LP record)

Nice moment but I’m talking about moments when God interrupts our plans and routines and helps us remember HIS purposes for the day. On days when we are well into the details of a busy day, He comes to remind us that we have a higher purpose than checking off the items of a to do list. He interjects eternity into our day.

Our attitude, our interactions, our reactions, our kindnesses speak volumes throughout eternity. Why does the world give Christians such a hard time when their words or actions don’t reflect Christ? Because people are wanting to see if Jesus Christ truly makes a difference. How we treat the servers who wait on us in restaurants, the bank tellers, the grocery clerks, the floor sweepers, the person ahead of us in line, the customer service agent on the phone speaks loudly to the world. We can be demanding, impatient and condescending one minute, and then if God interjects eternity and we learn that person just lost a loved one or they are going through a painful divorce, our attitude instantly changes. Suddenly we’re thinking about their need and their eternal soul instead of how long it’s taking for our meal to arrive.

Recently God sent me some sacred intersections, some moments from eternity.

http://www.fotosearch.com♥ This week I went to have my haircut. The person ahead of me was finished right on time. I was thinking, “Good, we’ll get started on time and I can get on to the next thing before Scott gets home.” But this person was very chatty. She was chatting on and on about her illness and the conflicting advice from her doctors. I kept my head down reading a magazine but inside I was thinking, “Great. How long is she going to go on about all that?! She isn’t even concerned that my appointment time has come and gone. How rude. I would never do that to someone.”

Suddenly I noticed that the conversation had turned to where she could find a good Bible Study. (I didn’t hear the transition because I was talking to myself.) And my hair professional was saying, “Candy can help you with that. Candy, where would you recommend she find a good Bible Study?” God had interjected eternity into this moment! My “training” took over and I asked her a few basic questions to get some background. She was someone who loved God but didn’t feel comfortable calling herself a Christian. She had negative experiences with the Church and with Christians when she was young. She studies the Bible and her heart longed to know God.

Instantly my attitude had changed. I was thrilled to point this chatty woman to Jesus. All of a sudden I realized she had been chatting about her experience with CANCER. What was I thinking?! Here I was, a professed Christ-follower, only concerned with how long my haircut was going to take when this woman had come back from the brink of death and was reaching out to a loving God with her questions and her yearnings.

I was humbled by eternity.

♥ I looked around the room. I didn’t see any newcomers and few young women at this speaking engagement. I was wondering how God could use this event if everyone already knew Him. I didn’t want to play girlie luncheon. Then right in the middle of a very crucial part of my talk, a young woman walked in the door and sat down. There was some commotion as a place was made for her at a table, and I skillfully brought the audience back to attention. “Great,” I thought. “Another moment ruined by an interruption.”

Afterwards as we looked through the comment cards, there was a card from this woman who had arrived so late. She was from a local retirement center and had come to pick up one of those “older women” who already knew the Lord. This young woman had checked the box asking for more information about becoming a Christian!

God had interjected eternity. I couldn’t see His plan. But He was busy working his purposes, moving people into position to be touched in answer to prayer … I and the event leaders were just cogs in the wheel always in motion. Once again I had forgotten that God is ALWAYS at work. I don’t have to know or see all the details; I’m only responsible for my own obedience.

Eternity touches us when obedience meets opportunity.

Will you join me in taking time today to notice the sacred intersections (thanks for that beautiful tag, Elaine), the moments when we have the chance to touch eternity? We are God’s hands and feet and heart. The way we move through today does matter … forever.

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Published by Candy Troutman

I offer services in the areas of communication, clarity and connection. Public speaking, writing, social media management, personal & faith-based mentoring & small business coaching.
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7 thoughts on “When God Interjects Eternity”

You touched my heart, Candy. Thank you for writing down your expirations/lessons/experiences from the HS. I really needed that. I will, with the HS’s help, be more patient in those type of situations. Your hairdresser knew you well. I love you.

What a show off our God is! Oh for the eyes to see, ears to hear, minds to conceive, and the humility to bend to the moment.

What a beautiful take, sweet sister. I clicked over from facebook, because I adored the title… interjecting “eternity”… whooo, that packs a punch.

Thanks for the reminder. Been a rough week of looking around, but I’m going to lunch today at the Bordeaux Drug Store; apparently there’s a lunch counter there with a soda fountain, etc. Just my kind of place… the place where eternity lurks! You bless my heart.

Love to hear from you! Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hosted our family reunion here last week so I was offline. How wonderful to place yourself “where eternity lurks”! I will follow your journey in this new ministry.